Amusement device



D. A. ALPERT. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2, 1919.

mm w e 6 Am Wm W P Rn D. A. ALPERT.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLiCATION FILED APR. 2, 1919.

1,386,590, Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/ HL -L-EL \\l 445; 514

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAvIn A, ALrEn'r. or IBEAGHMONT, MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID A. ALPERT, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Beachmont, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Amusement Devices, 0f-which the following'is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

"TlllS inventionrelates to amusement devices and more particularly to a riding machine in which a rotating member carries a pIl urality of cars adapted for passengers.

he main'object of my invention is to provide'an amusement device of the character described in which. the passenger cars, in

i addition to being carried in a circular path,

' videa device simple and cheap in construction and safe in operation.

Other objects of the invention will be more specifically set forth and described hereinafter. V Briefly my invention contemplates a riding machine comprising a plurality of passenger cars adapted for travel in a circular path with means for intermittently raising and lowering the cars 'while traveling in the circular path, and for giving the cars awhirling movement first in one direction and then in a reverse direction.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of ariding machine constructed and operated in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a' plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the driving means for said machine and Fig. dis a plan view in detail, on anenlarged scale, of a quadrant for imparting a whirling movement to the passenger cars. r

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a plurality of passenger cars 10 which are preferably circular in form, each having an entrance 11 and a circular seat 12 within. The cars may beof a size suitable for one Or for a number of passengers as desired.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

Application filed April 2, 1919. Serial No. 286,962.

The cars 10 may be carried by any suitable supporting member arranged to move the cars through a certain prescribed path, but preferably a circular platform 15 is employed, the platform being centrally supported on a standard 16 set in a suitable block or bearing 17 and the edge of the platform at or near its periphery being provided with a plurality of wheels 18 jour naled in dependingbrackets 19 secured to the under surface of the platform. The wheels 18 engage and run upon a circular rail 20. In operation the platform rotates upon the standard 16 as a center, being sup ported by the wheels 18 at its periphery.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the circular platform, and one such means is shown in the drawings comprising an electric motor 22 having a pinion 23 mounted on a shaft 24, said pinion engaging a gear-wheel 25 mounted on the shaft 26 of one of the wheels 18. The starting ofthe motor causes the pinion 23 to rotate operating the gear 25 and the particular wheel 18 to which it is applied. Various other means may be substituted for rotating the platform or supportingmember for the cars, as these means are well known and form no part of my invention.

When the platform is rotated the passenger cars 10 travel through a circular path and for the purpose of imparting a vertical movement up and down to the cars as they travel in this circular path, I provide the following means. Each car is mounted on a central shaft or standard 30 passing downwardly loosely through the platform in a suitable bearing and having at its lower end a cup-shaped bearing '31 adapted to hold a ball 32. The shaft 30 is further supported against lateral movement by a bearing 33 carried by a bracket 34 secured to the under side of the platform. Underneath the platform I arrange a circular track 85, having a series of elevated portions. The track is so arranged that the bearings 32 travel on it when the platform is rotated, the track being provided with side flanges to hold the ballbearings 32 thereon. As the platform r0- tates carrying the passenger cars, the balls 32 travel on the track and when the ball of any one car reaches an elevatedportion of the track it rides up on that portion, thereby causing the passenger car to be raised up as shown in Fig. 1. The result is that the rotation-of the platform gives to each car an 'series of quadrants 40 adapted to engage shives 41 on the shaft 30' of the cars. Each quadrant is curved, having the base engagingth'eshive wedge shaped in order to enter the groove in the periphery of the 'shive and 7 thereby secure a firm grip. Each quadrant is mounted on two rodsv 14,,44L, loosely mounted in a bracket 46 secured to the foundation 4:7,.and upon the rod 44 are springs 48 which maintain the quadrant in a forward position yet permit of its being retracted as the shive rides over-it. 7 By mountif desired, the quadrants may be arranged ing the quadrants alternately on different sides .of the track I secure a whirling movement of the car first in one direction and then in the reverse. Inthe drawings I haveshown the quadrants arranged to impart thewhirling movements when-the cars are traveling in their lower position and on the depressed portions of thetrack 35, but,

adjacent to the elevated portions in order 7 to. impart the whirling movements when the cars are in a ralsed position. 'In order to reducefriction between the car and the platform when it is whirled, the base of each caris provided .with -a number of suitable suming it to be in its lower position with the.

rollers 50. Y

' Theoperation of my device is of extreme simplicity. The starting of the motor 22 causes]v the platform 15 'torevolve and the cars 10 are thereby carried along a circular path. Taking one car for example,and asball bearing 32 at the bottom of its shaft 30, resting on adepressed portion ofthe track g 35, the cartravels in its lower position until the ball-bearing 32 reaches the elevated portionof the track when it rides up the inolinel in'the track, :therebywraising the car. The car thentravels for ajtime in a raised positionuntilthedecline -is reached when it drops, As the car then. travelsin a lower position and reaches a quadrant, the shive 41 comes :into engagement with the wedgeshaped surface of the quadrant causing a v winding between the two which results in turning the car in ,a direction dependent upon whether the quadrant is arranged on one side or the other of the circular path.

I The-duration of the whirling movement of thecarw'ill depend to some extent upon the speed of the platform and the length of the quadrant. and these. maybe varied to attain varying results.

. After the car is disengaged from the quadrant it is again raisedand travels for a time in that position. When it next reaches a depressed portion of the track the shive engagesa quadrant located upon the opposite side of the circular path and is whirled in a directionireverse to the former whirling movement.

The further operation is merely a repeti'a' tion ofthe foregoing.

It willv be apparent that my invention introduces a number of, novel and amusing movements in a riding machine andthat the.

various operating elements ,may be so grouped as to vary the arrangement, se quence and duration of the particular movements without departing from my invention.

It is further to be observed that my invention is not tobe limited to passenger carry mg cars because various devices may be sub.- stltuted inplace of the cars and be operated in the samemanner as the cars, such, for instance, as wooden horsesor otherdevices intended to carry but one passenger each. 5 Q

What I claimisz-e V V 1. Ina ridingmachine, the combination of a revolving 1 support, a standard 7 vertically slidable therein,-a passengercarrying car fixed on the top of said standard, said car being provided on its bottom with :roller bearings, a fixed undulated track, asuitabIQ bearing mounted in the lower end of said standard and in engagement with said undue V v V lated track and means for revolvingsaid support to cause said car to riseand fall in 1ts path oftravel, 2. In a rld ng mach'nalthe eombination'of a revolving support, l lfians for revolving :5

said support, a standard slidablymounted in a vertical-position, a passengercar fixed'con top of said. standard, 'a plurality of roller bearings mounted on the bottom of said car,

-a bearing in the lower endof said standard and a fixed track uponwhich said bearing travels, saldj track being undulated in order to cause said standard and passenger 'car to rise and fall in its course of travel when said supportis revolved,

3. In a riding machine, the combination of aVrevolvingsupport, means for revolving said support, a'standard slidablymounted in saidsupport in a vertical position, a passen' geicar carried by said standard, a plurality;

of roller bearings mounted on thebottom of said car, a roller bear ng in the; lower end of said standard, afixed track uponwhichsaid bearingtravels, said tra'ckjbeing undulated n order to cause said passenger carito rise and fallin its courseof travel when; said-support is revolved and means-for {rotating said standard and passenger car 1d-1'1ring1its course of travel,

a revolving support, means flfo r revolving said support, a standard'slidably mounted in r 4. In azriding machine, the combination of V V said support in a vertical position, a passenger car carried by said standard, a roller bearing in the lower end of said standard, a fixed track upon which said bearing travels, said track being undulated in order to cause said passenger car to rise and fall in its course of travel when said support is revolved and meansfor rotating said standard and said car at intermittent periods during its course of travel; said means comprising a shive fixed on said standard and having a grooved periphery and a plurality of fixed quadrants, each having a wedge-shaped face for engaging the groove in said shive.

5. In a riding machine, the combination of a revolving support, means for revolving said support, a standard slidably mounted in said support in a vertical position, a passenger car carried by said standard, a roller bearing in the lower end of said standard, a fixed track upon which said bearing travels, said track being undulated in order to cause said passenger car to rise and fall in its course of travel when said support is revolved and means for rotating said car intermittently during its course of travel, first in one direction and then in the reverse direction; said means comprising a shive fixed on said standard and a plurality of quadrants arranged alternately on two sides of the path of travel of said shive, each of said quadrants having its face wedgeshaped in order to make a tight engagement with the grooved periphery of said shive as the same is rotated.

6. In a riding machine, the combination of a revolving support, means for revolving said support, astandard slidably mounted in a vertical position in said support, a bracket support for said standard, a passenger car fixed on top of said standard, a bearing in the lower end of said standard, a plurality of roller bearings mounted on the bottom of said car and adapted to engage said revolving support when said car is in a lowermost position, a fixed track upon which said bearing travels, said track being undulated in order to cause said standard and passenger car to rise and fall in its course of travel when said support is revolved, said means comprising a shive fixed on said standard and provided with a grooved periphery and a fixed quadrant having a wedgeshaped face and adapted to be engaged by said shive.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of March, 1919.

DAVID A. ALPERT. 

